Gov. Phil Murphy announces a five-point Computer Science for ALL State Plan and Fiscal Year 2020 Funding Opportunities at Bridgewater-Raritan High School on Nov. 4, 2019. – EDWIN J. TORRES/GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
As part of New Jersey’s Computer Science for All initiative, which was designed to broaden rigorous computer science courses offered to students, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday a computer science for All State Plan, including $2 million in state grants, to help high schools establish computer science programs.
“Expanding and improving computer science programs in our public schools will help provide our students with the critical thinking skills they need to succeed in today’s global economy,” said Murphy. “Computers and technology are integral to our society and workforce, and students must be given the opportunity to learn and master these foundational skills.”
The announcement supports Murphy’s testament to advance computer science education. This plan will provide more opportunities for students to study computer science and teach computational thinking skills that are valuable in nearly all career fields.
According to the Computer Science for All State Plan, more than 500,000 computing jobs remain unfilled in the United States – with more than 15,000 in the Garden State alone.
Although the jobs offer an average salary of $107,260 in New Jersey, only 1,642 computer science majors graduated from the state’s universities in 2017.
